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March 25, 2009
Report from Miiro-Uganda
THE JICA/JSRPD PROGRESS REPORT; 13th,DECEMBER’08 - 13th, MARCH’09
INTRODUCATION:
Today, 13th, March 2009, marks it the 3rd month since I completed Leadership Development for Persons with Disabilities in Japan, together with other eight participants. At the end of the course, I developed a project proposal entitled “ENABLE ME WORK TO LIVE INDEPENDENT”, which is to be implemented in Masaka District. I am sorry to report at this moment, that I have not yet raised the required funds to implement this project, but I am still searching for the funds.
In these three (3) months, I have been able to do the following based on the knowledge acquired from the course.
ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED.
1. Detailed report training on the Leadership Development for Persons’with Disability was made and shared to all stakeholders. The report also included 4 detailed recommendations like Disability
Track System (Disability ID), Employment Quota System for Persons with Disability, Promotion of Measures for Persons with Disabilities and Main streaming the Disabled persons Organizations
2. I have organized 4 dissemination meetings with the Disabled persons’ organization, which included Masaka District Union of Persons’ with Disabilities (MADIPU), Masaka District Association of the blind (MADIAB), Masaka District Association of Parents of children with disabilities and Kingo Parents of children with disabilities. These meetings were meant to share knowledge and experience that I learnt from Japan and also make them re-organize them selves as the Japanese disabled organization.
3. I received a wheelchair from JSRPD and I am happy to report that this wheel chair was donated to Mugenyi Ronald, a young boy (16 years) with hydrocephalus and physical impaired, in the presence of his father called Mr. Kigganda Moses of Mirambi LC1, Mirambi parish, Kibenge Subcounty, Masaka District.
4. Also I lobbied the Masaka Rotary Club, which donated 90 wheel chair, 6 Wheelchair from Send A cow and Hon. Namagwa S. Mugerwa who donated 30 wheelchairs to the PWDs in the district
5. I have also written to the entire sub county authorities in Masaka District to include PWDs in their planning activities for the financial year 2009/2010. As in most cases PWDs are left out in the planning processes hence not addressing their needs.
6. To address the issues of HIV/AIDS among the PWDs, I have been able to;
Give out 3000 condoms to PWDs from Kisseka Subcounty, Kyanamukaka Subcounty and Katwe/Butego Divisions. This was possible with support from the District Health Department.
Organize radio talk show on HIV/AIDS prevention among PWDs. This was made possible by asistance from NUDIPU
TASO and NUDIPU have also trained disabled persons in Masaka, in basic HIV/AIDS counseling so that they too can be master trainers to PWDs in the District
Civil Society Fund (CSF)/Global Fund approved the project proposal on HIV/AIDS prevention among PWDs in Lwengo Sub county and Kimanya/Kyabakuza Division. I personally wrote this proposal on behalf of MADIPU and I am happy to report that the activities have kicked off.
7. Lastly, I have written to the Chair person of the Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities in the Parliament of Uganda on the issue of supporting the Disability Identity Card
CHALLENGES TO PWDs:
a) I had lost my baggage, which included a bag containing all my documents and files had in Japan and my wheelchair. However after a month I got them back having worked well the Kenya Airways. But this also hindered me, in some way or the other.
b) I have not started on my project and still feeling disappointed. As the project is to address the issue of unemployment and promotion of vocational training among PWDs, which if employed, they
would fight poverty among them selves.
c) Many persons with disability especially the learning difficulties, deaf, blind and deafblind are still highly discriminated in the villages and urgently need proper identification (ID)
d) The Education of the PWDs is very low especially the blind in the only blind primary school (SPEED) in the district, which doesn’t have the necessary Braille materials, reading and sports
equipments. Worse still the parents are poor to take them to Iganga or Soroti District which have well equipped schools
e) Access the rural areas where the PWDs are the majority, is also a hindrance to the project.
f) Inadequate access to rehabilitation services especially in the rural areas.
CONCLUSION:
In a conclusion, I still have hope that the government or a donor will support my project, which will later spread to the rest of the country for the good of PWDs in Uganda.
http://www.jicafriends.jp/projects/africa/uganda/001miiro/index.html
Posted by jicafriends at March 25, 2009 04:45 PM
Comments
Dear Miiro,
Thank you very much for sharing this information with us. It is always wonderful when we learn from PWDs themselves what the situation on the ground is like. People like you go a long way in countering myths that PWDs are a burden to society and do nothing but sit back and wait for hand outs. It is amazing how much you have done in so short a time to see that the knowledge you gained is put to good use. It is also touching to see how you have selflessly thought about other PWDs. I wish you the very best as you look for funding and hope that the organization that funded your training can also consider linking you to possible funders for purposes of continuity. Thanks for the great work and good luck!
Posted by: Christine semambo Sempebwa at April 16, 2010 05:20 AM